Lab goal/question: To find out the PE & the KE, with the accerlation and velocity, of a fun homemade rollercoaster.
Will this be a fun Roller Coaster in real life?
Materials: Hot Wheel Car, Hot Wheel Tracks, Masking tape, Bricks and Meter Sticks.
Procedure:
1. Get materials to build rollercoaster
2. Get Hot Wheels car & test the built rollercoaster.
3. Find Velocity & the acceleration, along with PE, & KE.
4. How much power does the car do when going down the rollercoaster?
Data/calculations:
We divided the rollercoaster up in five parts, the top of the first hill, the bottom of the first hill, the top of the second hill, the top of the third hill, and then the final stage, the ground.
Rollercoaster Ride
Potential Energy = mgh
Kinetic Energy=1/2mv^2
Total Mechanical Energy: PE + KE
Velocity: Distance/ Time
Mass of the Car: 0.037 kilograms
Part 1:
Height: 0.6919 m.
Initial Velocity: 0 m/s (Dropping)
PE: mgh = (.037)(9.8)(0.6919)=0.2908 J
KE:0
PE+KE=0.2508 J
Part 2:
Height: 0 m. (Touching the Ground)
Velocity:3.678m/s
PE:mgh=(.037)(9.8)(0)=0J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(3.678)^2=0.2902J
PE+KE=0.2502 J
Part 3:
Height:0.256 m
Velocity: 0.859 m/s
PE=mgh=(0.037)(9.8)(0.256)=0.0928 J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(0.859)^2=0.01365J
PE+KE=0.1064J
Part 4:
Height:0.153 m
Velocity:1.728 m/s
PE=mgh=(0.037)(9.8)(0.153)=0.05548 J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(1.727)^2=0.05524J
PE+KE=0.110721J
Part 5:
Height: 0 meters
Final Velocity: 2.7 m/s.
PE=mgh=(0.037)(9.8)(0)=0 J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(2.7)^2=0.1348J
PE+KE=0.1348J
VELOCITY OF A HOT WHEEL CAR:
CHANGE IN KINETIC:
CHANGE IN POTENTIAL:
Reflection/conclusion:
We made this rollercoaster to figure out the relationship between potential and kinetic energy. Our goal in this lab was to find out the work, and to see if it is a fun rollercoaster, if ridden in real life. We figure out how much work the car going down the hill, in different parts of roller coaster. We found out that the first hill (which was the largest) had less friction/ it did the most work. When the car went up to the second hill, there was more friction thus it lost the work and velocity. The Total Mechanical Energy first very high at first hill, and second hill it was lower. But it gained little bit of energy as it went down the last hill. As we differentiate the Total Mechanical Energy we find different amounts of Kinetic energy and Potential energy. The first part of our rollercoaster there was a significant amount of potential, but no kinetic because potential energy was not transformed to Kinetic energy yet, (hot wheel was just about to go down). (Part 2) When we hit the ground, it touched the ground and potential energy was 0 because it did not move vertically. However, it did move horizontally which it gave kinetic energy to hot wheel car. (Part 3) Before the second hill we lost more than half of the original TME. When we were going up Kinetic energy was decreasing. After the top of the second hill, it started to go down there was less friction, and it created kinetic energy. (Part 4-5) It slowly gained both KE/ PO energy as it went down the hill because there was no third hill.
Title: Rollercoaster Physics
Lab goal/question: To find out the PE & the KE, with the accerlation and velocity, of a fun homemade rollercoaster.
Will this be a fun Roller Coaster in real life?
Materials: Hot Wheel Car, Hot Wheel Tracks, Masking tape, Bricks and Meter Sticks.
Procedure:
1. Get materials to build rollercoaster
2. Get Hot Wheels car & test the built rollercoaster.
3. Find Velocity & the acceleration, along with PE, & KE.
4. How much power does the car do when going down the rollercoaster?
Data/calculations:
We divided the rollercoaster up in five parts, the top of the first hill, the bottom of the first hill, the top of the second hill, the top of the third hill, and then the final stage, the ground.
Rollercoaster Ride
Potential Energy = mgh
Kinetic Energy=1/2mv^2
Total Mechanical Energy: PE + KE
Velocity: Distance/ Time
Mass of the Car: 0.037 kilograms
Part 1:
Height: 0.6919 m.
Initial Velocity: 0 m/s (Dropping)
PE: mgh = (.037)(9.8)(0.6919)=0.2908 J
KE:0
PE+KE=0.2508 J
Part 2:
Height: 0 m. (Touching the Ground)
Velocity:3.678m/s
PE:mgh=(.037)(9.8)(0)=0J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(3.678)^2=0.2902J
PE+KE=0.2502 J
Part 3:
Height:0.256 m
Velocity: 0.859 m/s
PE=mgh=(0.037)(9.8)(0.256)=0.0928 J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(0.859)^2=0.01365J
PE+KE=0.1064J
Part 4:
Height:0.153 m
Velocity:1.728 m/s
PE=mgh=(0.037)(9.8)(0.153)=0.05548 J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(1.727)^2=0.05524J
PE+KE=0.110721J
Part 5:
Height: 0 meters
Final Velocity: 2.7 m/s.
PE=mgh=(0.037)(9.8)(0)=0 J
KE:1/2mv^2
1/2(0.037)(2.7)^2=0.1348J
PE+KE=0.1348J
VELOCITY OF A HOT WHEEL CAR:
CHANGE IN KINETIC:
CHANGE IN POTENTIAL:
Reflection/conclusion:
We made this rollercoaster to figure out the relationship between potential and kinetic energy. Our goal in this lab was to find out the work, and to see if it is a fun rollercoaster, if ridden in real life.
We figure out how much work the car going down the hill, in different parts of roller coaster. We found out that the first hill (which was the largest) had less friction/ it did the most work. When the car went up to the second hill, there was more friction thus it lost the work and velocity. The Total Mechanical Energy first very high at first hill, and second hill it was lower. But it gained little bit of energy as it went down the last hill.
As we differentiate the Total Mechanical Energy we find different amounts of Kinetic energy and Potential energy. The first part of our rollercoaster there was a significant amount of potential, but no kinetic because potential energy was not transformed to Kinetic energy yet, (hot wheel was just about to go down). (Part 2) When we hit the ground, it touched the ground and potential energy was 0 because it did not move vertically. However, it did move horizontally which it gave kinetic energy to hot wheel car. (Part 3) Before the second hill we lost more than half of the original TME. When we were going up Kinetic energy was decreasing. After the top of the second hill, it started to go down there was less friction, and it created kinetic energy. (Part 4-5) It slowly gained both KE/ PO energy as it went down the hill because there was no third hill.